Best Blogs of 2006 that You (Maybe) Aren't Reading

Every year around this time, I attempt to summarize what's been happening online by publishing my list of the best blogs of the year [2002, 2003, 2004]. But I abruptly stopped last year because the list had become annoyingly redundant. Yes, dear blogosphere, after only six (or so) years of existence, you already have your canon, created either through fiat, power laws, or meritocracy -- you decide!

Sure, new sites break through (such as Techcrunch and Valleywag did this year), but a glance at the Technorati 100 shows that things aren't really that different than they were a few years ago. So do you really need me to prattle on about the significance of Kottke and Waxy, Romenesko and Gawker, Engadget and Scoble? I think not. Instead, this year I've gathered 30 blogs that you perhaps aren't reading.

Caveat: no human on the planet is qualified to do this, and the 500 blogs that I follow probably represents how many blogs are created in a second.1 On the other hand, this is not a list of esoteric blogs that you'll smirk at and never read again. I actually read all of these, because I think they're great.

And finally, please add your under-appreciated blog suggestions in the comments. Because really, aren't the overlooked ones the reason we're all here anyway?

27. T-Shirt CriticI've got this theory that the t-shirt is becoming its own legitimate form of media -- informative yet dispensable. Probably the most frequent email query I get is "where do you get all those t-shirt links?" The answer is all over the freaking place -- but this site is one of the best. (See also: Preshrunk & iloveyourtshirt.)

26. PrunedOstensibly, this is a blog about landscape architecture, but it actually illustrates how any discipline has complexity and hybridity behind it, usually by gathering all sorts of randompieces of visual culture. (See also: BLDG BLOG & Things Magazine.)

25. YpulseYou can count the number of people making a living by blogging on a couple of hands, but be sure to add a digit for Anastasia. If you think you know what teenagers are talking about today, you may reconsider after reading this blog, which tracks everything that the kids (Generation Y) are into. (See also: Agenda Inc.)

24. Eyeteeth & OffcenterThrough some bad twist of misfortune, I never met the multi-talented Paul Schmelzer when I lived in Minneapolis. But I've been collecting all the marvellous little spores he leaves behind on various sites around the interweb, including these two. (See also: Greg.org.)

22. DethronerNot that you care, but 2006 was a crummy year for the lad magazine. Could it be that the social internet is invading dude-ness too? This one-man site (from Joel Johnson, former Gizmodo editor, recently interviewed by Matt Haughey) is a good example of what one person can do in a niche topic. (See also: Daddy Types.)

21. Cute OverloadYes, hipster, I know -- you, your sister, and your mom have seen Cute Overload. But have you bookmarked it? Have you returned to it every day just for some cheery bunnies? You have not truly experienced Cute Overload until it has become a ritual. I dare you. (See also: Flickr: Interestingness.)

20. IFC TVPicking the best film blog is difficult. Luckily, picking the best one you perhaps aren't reading is easy! This link-heavy blog is the perfect mix of news and views on film culture. (See also: Cinematical & GreenCine Daily.)

18. MetafilterJoke, right? No, not really, because I bet everyone reading this post has at one time or another given up on Metafilter. And unlike the time you gave up on Slashdot, you eventually came back to Metafilter. (See also: Ask.Metafilter, the real reason this site deserves to be here.)

17. videos.antville.orgYou're going to see a huge surge of video link blogs this year, but this one has always stood above the others for good community contributions of quality music videos. (See also: ClipTip & Digg: Music Videos.)

15. Josh SpearCool Hunting and The Cool Hunter are, well, cool. But they tend to track international trends that seldom seem to intersect with your life. Josh Spear's cool hunting includes stuff you might actually be able to afford getting your hands on. (See also: NotCot.org.)

13. Make MagazineEven though this blog is arguably pretty popular, I'm including the work of the indefatigable Phillip Torrone because the trend of life hacking and productivity really started to emerge this year. Make's philosophy is simple: anything can be DIY if you just figure out how to hack it. (See also: Lifehacker & 43 Folders & Life Clever.)

12. 3 Quarks Daily3 Quarks Daily sets the paradigm for what a good personal blog should be: eclectic but still thematic, learned but not boring, writerly but not wordy. (See also: Snark Market & wood s lot.)

11. ScreensI've had a boyish crush on Virginia Heffernan's writing since her days as Slate's tv columnist. This year, she started this peculiar little blog for the New York Times, covering the cultural side of the internet video industry before anyone realized there was such a thing. She was the first mainstream media writer to snag lonelygirl15 as a storyline (which I -- still boyishly -- think she first saw here), writing in a cozy vernacular that you were surprised in the old gray lady. (See also: Lost Remote & Carpetbagger.)

8. SubtractionAn editor from The Atlantic who was doing a story on buzz-building recently contacted me about finding the source of a meme he saw on Fimoculous. He asked where I got it, and I said Subtraction, to which he replied, "that's what everyone else said too." A blogger's blogger, Khoi Vinh is the new design director at the NYTimes.com, which might sound high-brow, but his personal site has the quality you most desire from a blogger: curiosity. (See also: Anil Dash.)

7. Pop CandyI'm as surprised as you that a USA Today blog makes this list. Beyond the cute Chuck Taylors in her pic, what makes Whitney Matheson better than the slew of other pop culture blogs out there? Simple: while everyone else is there to out-snark and out-upskirt-shot each other, Whitney seems to actually like popular culture. (See also: Stereogum & Amy's Robot.)

6. Future of the BookOstensibly about exploring the shift from the printed page to the networked screen, Future of the Book stumbles across a variety of new ideas along the way, such as creating a wikibook on gaming. Although occasionally windy, Future of the Books is on the precipice of something big. (See also: Read/Write Web & Smart Mobs.)

4. Information AestheticsI suspect we need a chart to explain why this blog is so great, because just saying "this blog tracks instances of data visualization" sounds like it could be a weapon to kill terrorists with boredom. But this site is essential reading for anyone interested in the ways that engineers and designers turn the messy world into a clear visual representation. (See also: Visual Complexity & xBlog.)

This is a great list. I'm always looking for new blogs to read, so it's nice to get some really good recommendations all in one place. While not yet up to the caliber of the blogs mentioned, I'd love for you to check out my blog: Didn't You Hear (http://www.didntyouhear.com). It's a little bit of everything mixed together with a little bit of humor and some informative stuff thrown in for good measure.

One of the best blogs online happens to be angelcakes1232000, through yahoo, a most interesting and heartwarming blog, and needs to be recognized...she's a beautiful woman, with a heart of gold.........

You missed GraphicDesignBar. Goldmine of design-related links, without the pretentious elitism you find on other design sites.

posted by Alex at 1:51 PM on December 4, 2006

Awesome list but I think you've overlooked one that makes 1000's of people smile every day, MangoFalls

posted by SlipperySal at 1:51 PM on December 4, 2006

Wow, thanks! My daily RSS reading list just went from "practically unmanageable" to "utterly impossible" in a few short mouse-clicks. In the hope of helping other folks to reach the same goal, I'll toss the recently-launched (but fast-growing) blog of The World Almanac into the ring. I imagine that many of you might take an interest in our diverse collection of stuff...

Wow, thanks for the link, I write tcritic.com and really appreciate the complement. I've been blown away by the amount of people visiting and emailing me today, phew. I'm totally honored to be in great company as well, you list some great blogs in your list.

Thanks for sneaking in the plug for Cinematical (I don't even write for it anymore, but since you didn't do a list last year, I'll assume this list includes the influence of bloggery circa 2005, and thus take the credit).

I like the Cycling Economist blog; it's certainly different! And it seems this guy has few readers. If you ever wanted to know how a rabid cyclist sees everything through cycling-tinted glasses, this is the place:

posted by Tony at 9:25 PM on December 4, 2006

I like my blog. I recently lost my job as managing editor of Beer.com and have been charting my search for a new job, totally genuine. Any link love would be much appreciated! Cheers, John. The blog is: http://makejohnnycash.blogspot.com/

Really good list of blogs. I found a few I din't know about, so thanks. Here are some I think are excellent that you don't have on your list. They all fall within the link blog but they are a cut above the rest, at least IMHO.

http://presurfer.meepzorp.com/

http://www.neatorama.com/

http://www.spaltenstein-ursi.ch/blog/weblog.php

http://www.eso-garden.com/

http://growabrain.typepad.com/growabrain/

posted by Jo-Ann Burton at 2:54 PM on December 5, 2006

starbucks gossip?

posted by lala at 3:20 PM on December 5, 2006

Rex - I'll toss out a few political blogs (since that topic seemed MIA) ... try Orcinus, from David Neiwert, a Seattle freelance journalist - great for insightful essays. For the quick take, beltway scoop, see the The Washington Note, by Steve Clemons andTaggan Goddard's Political Wire. Then there's Memeorandum - maybe it belongs with the BlogPulse listing?

Group blogs: Crooked Timber (academics, but with non-academic relevance) and FireDogLake (political - notable for their campaign fundraising in 2006, IMO).

I agree with your TV choices, although I'm also a fan of AllYourTV.com (which I think I might have found first through Lost Remote). I's not exactly a blog, and it's not exactly a traditional site. Which I think might be what keeps people from noticing it. But they do a lot of nice coverage of fairly offbeat TV stuff, which I don't see anywhere else. Now if they would just bit more predictable about when they update the site.

posted by Steve Andrews at 2:11 PM on December 7, 2006

you forgot me ;) jk

We Make Money Not Art is my absolute favorite blog... but Indexed? Seriously, I subscribed to Indexed's RSS long ago and every post is disappointing and not that great. I'm sure it's a nice blog, but just gets boring.

Thank goodness you didn't choose the fat and ugly Perez Hilton!! But he was good in bed...

Try RealityBlurred...

posted by Rex Thunderthighs at 8:22 PM on December 9, 2006

I am starting this audio-text blog. Sort of podcast but diffrent. It is actually only in spanish although audio is both in english and Spanish. I am looking forward that this blog becomes something worldwide... Anyhow I hope you speak about it next 2007 Gururaj Ananda Yogi